


Birthday Boy

by HyperKid



Series: Modern AU [5]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Prompt: Modern AU, Pumats Sol, Shopping, Widofjord Week, Widofjord Week 2020, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25082401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: Caleb Widogast has good reasons not to celebrate his birthday in the usual way. Luckily his friends are barely acquainted with anything “usual”. Somehow, Fjord knows just how to make the day perfect.
Relationships: Caleb Widogast/Fjord, WidoFjord - Relationship
Series: Modern AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545967
Comments: 14
Kudos: 110





	Birthday Boy

**Author's Note:**

> HK: Well, it’s done!   
> Mollymauk: Late.  
> HK: Shutupshutupshutup barely late!   
> Mollymauk: Laaaaaate!   
> HK: Well! I have one more lil thing that may or may not be done and then I’m on to cram for Widojest week! And then I finally get to go back to the good good PolyNein shit and write some angsty Molly!   
> Mollymauk: *immediately brightening* Do I get to do something tragic?   
> HK: It’s gonna be kinda more yearning. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! Caleb has his Caleb flavoured Trauma 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one but magical technology is my fucking jam. Will absolutely be going back to Modern AU Pumat’s.

Two days before his birthday, Caleb almost thought he’d gotten away with it. None of his housemates knew his real name, he’d given Jester a fake birth date for his university admission, and Nott certainly hadn’t asked. There was no way any of them would be able to find out. 

Only Frumpkin knew. And none of them knew he was an archfey. 

Caleb thought. 

So he was entirely unprepared to walk in on Fjord and Jester arguing over a large birthday banner in the front hall the night before. His whole body froze as he read the slogan automatically. 

‘Happy Birthday Caleb!’ 

Not Bren, that was a saving grace at least, but if they didn’t know his name how could they know his birthday? 

Jester caught sight of him, throwing her hands into the air with a frustrated huff. 

“FJORD! Now it’s not going to be a surprise!” 

“So we can just ask him what he wants,” Fjord pointed out reasonably, turning to give Caleb a slightly sheepish smile. “I didn’t think you’d want us makin’ a fuss.” 

Still stunned by the existence of the banner, Caleb shook his head slowly. 

“No... I... do not celebrate my birthday,” he managed to keep his voice mostly under control, even as all his thoughts circled on “how?” 

Jester opened her mouth, clearly intending to ask why, and Fjord tactfully slapped his hand over it. 

“Would somethin’ like a quiet dinner at home be alright, or would you rather be alone?” 

Caleb’s first impulse was to say alone, always alone, and hide for the rest of the week. But since they apparently already knew it was coming... was there any point? He glanced across to Jester, obediently silent but visibly fuming and all but vibrating with trapped energy. 

Most of the reason he’d wanted to hide was so that he couldn’t let something slip. Nothing that could be a doorway, a path for his past to find and track him down and ruin everything he had. 

No chance of putting that cat back in the bag. 

And... it could be nice. Beau wasn’t a big birthday person either but hers had already passed, and the Mighty Nein had blown it out of the water. Gifts, a trip to the bar, and Jester had dug up an axe throwing establishment of all things. 

They’d gone as a group, and Caleb had been laughably bad. They’d needed to fetch a lighter axe just for him when he could barely make the regular ones stick in a target. 

Yasha had improved worryingly fast and gone in the opposite direction, taking the large two handed axe that was mostly used for show and damn near splitting the target in half. Jester had been good at it too, and Beau had spent the entire evening in blissful lust. And some truly embarrassing throws. 

It brought a smile to his face just to think about it, and he reluctantly let just a little of his tension unknot. Dinner wouldn’t be bad, and... well, any excuse to celebrate with the Mighty Nein. He could pretend it was just another night out, an end of exams party, something for work. 

It might be nice to have a distraction. 

Meeting Fjord’s gaze again, he nodded, shoulders settling. 

“Dinner would be alright. So long as no one mentions that it is my birthday.” 

“Does that mean we can go to the bar if we’re discrete, or should I cook something?” Jester cut in, head cocked to one side. Caleb managed a smile for her as well. 

“The bar would be fine. No dishes for us to do, ja?” 

“Yeah!” Visibly happier, Jester nodded brightly and bundled up her massive banner. He couldn’t help wondering... 

“What are you going to do with that, Jester?” He asked, slightly suspicious. It wouldn’t be unlike her to stick it to his ceiling. 

The tiefling shrugged brightly, stuffing it into a bag. 

“I can repaint it with something else. Maybe I’ll get Caduceus to pose nude for me.” 

The banner picked up a mysterious magnetic quality, dragging Fjord and Caleb’s eyes back to it. 

Well. 

It’d be long enough. 

*** 

Caleb trusted Fjord to let the rest of the Nein know about his preferences, so he was quite reasonably expecting to have most of the day to himself. One day he’d have to stop setting expectations around this group. 

He allowed himself the indulgence of sleeping in, hoping to miss the rush on the kitchen while the others all hurried to work, study, or wherever they’d be for the day. He didn’t have anything hugely pressing to do and mostly planned to spend it reading. In the library, in his study, it didn’t really matter. 

He was surprised again to come downstairs and find Fjord in the kitchen, plainly waiting for him. The half orc was nursing his way slowly through a mug of coffee, a fresh pot just boiling as Caleb walked in and froze. 

Raising the mug, Fjord grinned over at him. 

“Mornin’, sleepy head. Good timing, coffee’s just done.” 

Still feeling about half asleep, Caleb nodded slowly and made his way over to the machine, fumbling a mug from the cupboard. He took his coffee black and as he turned from the counter he saw Fjord at the freezer, already pulling out the ice tray. It pulled a tiny smile to his lips as he held out his cup, Fjord dropping two cubes in and raising a brow. 

“More?” 

A word that usually meant something very different and Caleb’s cheeks flushed. Fjord’s smile spread into a broad, lewd grin, and he raised the tray. 

“More ice, Caleb.” And then he stepped closer, broad chest brushing Caleb’s fingers where he gripped the mug. “You can have the rest later.” 

Mouth suddenly bone dry, Caleb took a quick sip of coffee and hissed at the heat. 

“One more,” he admitted and held out the cup again. 

Fjord dropped the desired cube in, refilling the tray and returning it to the freezer. Caleb made his way over to the table and dropped into a seat, both hands wrapped around his coffee like it was the elixir of life. He had a feeling he was going to need a second cup. 

Rather than returning to the table, Fjord paused at the breakfast counter, glancing back at Caleb. 

“You’re gonna need something to eat,” he reminded the wizard gently, tapping the cupboard that held cereals. Between the Nein it was stuffed full, plain for Caleb, sugary monstrosities for Jester, something ridiculously high carbs for Beau, and whatever the fuck Molly thought looked interesting that month. 

Fjord was perfectly happy to skim off the lot of them, but he knew whose were who’s. And knew Caleb was just as likely to forget breakfast if he was left to himself. 

The wizard glanced over, a slight smile on his face. He knew his faults as much as the rest of the gang, so it wasn’t a surprise. 

“Are you going to be babysitting me today then?” He asked with a soft chuckle. Fjord grinned back and shrugged, running a hand through his hair. 

“I was thinkin’ more of it as hanging out, but if you’d rather not...” 

“No, no,” Caleb cut him off quickly, taking a sip of coffee, “I was just going to go to the library. But some breakfast first is a good idea.” He nodded to the cupboard and Fjord’s smile spread. 

Pulling down Caleb’s box, he made his way back to the table and handed it over. 

“Actually, I was thinkin’ we should drop by the teleportation circles and go to Zadash. Beau’s got access to the Cobalt Soul circle there, and there’s a shop we should go check out.” 

Caleb’s brows rose at the mention of the Cobalt Soul, then higher when Fjord suggested actually leaving such a place. A store, better than a library? 

The half orc clearly read the expression of his face, shaking his head and pushing the cereal at him. 

“She’s never been in, but she says it’s a magic shop.” 

About to reach for the box, Caleb’s whole body froze. 

“A... magic shop?” He asked in a whisper, hardly able to believe his ears. Nicodranas was a trading hub, but the only arcane sellers he’d heard about even here had been those in Rexxentrum... which were off the list for obvious reasons. 

Thinking back, he couldn’t remember even hearing about one in Zadash, but that didn’t mean much. He had been... self centred in the old days. Coming back to himself, he forced a nod and carefully took the cereal. All of a sudden, it just wasn’t appetizing. 

After a few minutes of just staring, Fjord gently took the box back off him. 

“We can grab a pastry or something on the way. Got everything you’ll need?” 

Caleb shot out of his seat like it was on fire, through the door before the last word came. 

“LetmegetmywalletandbagI’llberightback!” 

Stifling a laugh Fjord made his way to the front hall. By the time he had his shoes on Caleb was back, one arm through a jacket, the other through his satchel. 

“Will it be cold in Zadash do you think?” He asked breathlessly, his cheeks flushed red from running. This time Fjord didn’t bother hiding his grin, grabbing a light jacket of his own from the rack. 

“Better safe than sorry? It might rain while we’re there.” 

Caleb nodded distractedly, getting himself fully tangled in his bag as he went for his shoes. Without a word, Fjord took the bag carefully from the tangle of limbs, stepping back to a safe distance. Without the extra encumbrance, Caleb jammed his feet into a pair of sneakers and shoved his hair back off his face. 

Bestowing a beaming, breathless smile on Fjord, he took his bag back, fingers trailing just a moment over the half orc’s hand. 

His own cheeks flushing just slightly russet, Fjord hurried out into the street after his wizard. They all knew that Caleb could move when well motivated. 

** 

The walk across Nicodranas to the local Cobalt Soul was blissful and balmy. The sea breeze carried traces of salt and fish in the air, with barely a cloud in the sky. A beautiful day, if just a little cool for early autumn. 

Caleb would not be dissuaded from a direct route, but he let Fjord talk him into stopping along the way to grab a breakfast sandwich. Another coffee helped to seal the deal and they ate as they walked, finishing just as they reached the beautiful facing of the library. 

Telltale cobalt blue edgings made the place unmistakable, but Fjord could easily believe that Caleb just had a sense for large collections of books. The wizard was as bubbly as Fjord had ever seen him as they entered, showing the head librarian Beau’s hastily scrawled note. 

For a moment Fjord worried they wouldn’t get in, but it seemed that the signature from Beau’s mentor carried more weight than he’d thought. Enough to get them access to the teleportation circles and permission to go through. 

Caleb was all but vibrating as he activated the circle, every word of the incantation clear and precise, every motion efficient even if his hands shook. Stepping through, the Zadash receiving room looked almost exactly like the room they’d just left. Caleb couldn’t stop staring at the shelves of books as they passed, clearly longing to stop and read. 

But for a magic shop... well, now that he knew Beau could get him access, he could come to the library any day. A magic shop was so much more promising. 

Neither of the men had any real experience navigating Zadash but it didn’t seem to matter; half the city was built around the Pentamarket it seemed, and everyone they passed seemed to know the way. The Invulnerable Vagrant was a popular spot, though the few people they stopped for directions warned that nothing there would come cheap. Magic so rarely did. 

Caleb didn’t care, all but vibrating the closer they got to their destination. Even his trepidation at being back in the Empire couldn’t dampen his enthusiasm. 

A magic shop. 

A real, proper, magical shop. Nicodranas had nothing like it, not many places on the Menagerie Coast did. It had been so, so long since he’d had access to such a place and the money to buy. 

Fjord couldn’t help puffing up with pride as he watched. Beau’d mentioned the place in an offhand way a week ago, an idle mention of somewhere they could stop for potions if they went north on break. A couple gentle questions had teased free some more memories, and then she’d promised not to tell Caleb until his birthday. 

The timing was so close it might as well be a surprise, and now Fjord felt like he’d drawn the teleportation circles himself. Caleb was so fucking happy. Bouncy and giddy with excitement, the complete opposite of the fearful, withdrawn man he’d become seeing the birthday banner. 

With any luck, they’d persuade him that birthdays could be a good thing after all. A clanking pocket of gold scrounged from the rest of the Nein for presents could only help. That was gonna have to wait until they got a look at what the shop held though; better to be sure there was something worth buying. 

When they finally reached the ornate store front, Caleb froze with his hand on the door. It was too much; too good to be true. He wasn’t allowed to have anything this wonderful. 

Directly behind him Fjord hesitated a moment. Rested a hand on the wizard’s slim shoulder. Couldn’t find the words to ask, so he didn’t speak at all. Just hoped that his presence could be some comfort. 

It did help, and Caleb forced himself to suck in a breath and push the door open, his other hand gripping his anti-scrying amulet tight enough to cut into his palm. He forced his hand away from it quickly, brushing across his pockets as he stepped inside and looked around. 

The store was... well, there were large shelves arranged carefully to make the interior seem spacious and welcoming, with a long counter down one wall. A firbolg was setting out a few new items on a mostly empty shelf while another polished the counter; both were about the same size, with an almost green cast to their blue-grey fur, and both much stockier than Caduceus. 

As he entered, Caleb realized they shared the same dark, curly hair as well. They must be related he decided; it would make the most sense, as few firbolg ever bothered to go into the cities at all, let alone move there. Family bonds would be the simplest explanation. 

The firbolg at the shelves turned to greet them, a broad, friendly smile spreading across his face. 

“Well hello there! And what might you fine gentlemen be looking for today?” His voice had a broad, friendly lilt to it and he spoke in the same unhurried way that Caduceus did. Caleb couldn’t hide a smile even through his renewed worry - seeing so many shades of familiarity in a total stranger made him wonder if this firbolg was also from Shady Creek Run. 

That’d be something nice to tell Caduceus about, and the rest of the Nein would definitely want to come and have a look for themselves if this shop was any good. The odds of them having actually known each other were minuscule, but it could be nice to have someone to talk about home with. 

Fjord stepped up behind Caleb as he paused, an arm slipping easily around the wizard’s shoulders for a quick squeeze. 

“We heard about you from a friend in Nicodranas, thought we’d come up to take a look. It’s my friend here’s birthday, so if you had something you’d recommend for a gift I think we’d be mighty grateful.” 

Caleb jumped at his touch, managed to turn it into part of the twist as he turned to stare up at Fjord, his mouth dropping open in surprise. The half orc tipped him a wink, grinning and giving him a gentle squeeze. 

“The others and I may have taken up a collection, so if you see somethin’ you like, just let me know.” From where he stood he could see a couple of intriguing possibilities, and if none of them panned out, well. There were stacks of books and shelves of paper. 

Happy wizard material right there. 

The firbolg at the shelves gave Caleb a friendly but appraising once over while he gaped like a fish, smiling and stepping closer. 

“Well that is a happy occasion! I am enchanter Pumat Sol, and I’m sure we have something that will suit whatever your needs happen to be. If I’m okay with the counter, I can help these young men?” 

The last question was called back to the other firbolg, and made both Caleb and Fjord frown in confusion. More so when the other firbolg turned to face them for the first time, with a face completely identical to the man before them, down to the same relaxed smile. 

“Yeah, me, I can handle this. If I can take care of these two, I can get the potions stocked when I’m done here. I would suggest starting with the cat figures,” he added, nodding towards Frumpkin as the familiar butted at Caleb’s ankles. 

Pumat nodded and smiled back to the other firbolg, then caught the utterly lost looks on the faces of his guest. 

“Ah, of course. This is also enchanter Pumat Sol. We are magically created copies of Pumat Sol Prime, here to run the shop. Would you like to see the cat figurines?” 

Caleb could only nod dumbly, trying to work out what the hell was going on, but Pumat didn’t seem to mind. He led them happily across to a shelf of figurines, in a variety of different shapes. Most of them had gently shifting colours across their painted surfaces, and others made sounds as he picked them up to demonstrate. 

There were animals who made different sounds, figures of the various “civilised” races that sang, or some figurines that simply played a few bars of music when touched. 

Fjord recovered his tongue enough to ask the roughly million questions he had piling up and their host was more than happy to answer. When the Cerberus Assembly was mentioned Caleb nearly dropped the cat statue he was holding, his grip tightening reflexively around it and making it let out a low purr. 

Of fucking course an enchanter in the Empire had Assembly ties. 

He forced himself to dial back his reaction, fingers tracing rhythmically across the lines of the statue. It felt good in his hands, smooth and cool and gently spiralling swirls of amber, orange, and warm brown following the tracks of his fingers. 

He didn’t notice Fjord clocking the motion, watching the way he stroked along the statue. 

** 

The Invulnerable Vagrant carried much more than just ornaments; those were a sideline, the Pumat helping them explained, something that the copies could make themselves when Prime was busy. They were quite popular too, and kept things interesting between larger projects. 

Larger projects like the transferable spell book. 

Now that was a lot more what Fjord had been expecting from a magic shop. It was a reasonably thick volume, each page completely blank, but of a thick, luxurious paper. And it could load almost any book or website to fill those pages. 

Caleb had nearly snatched it from Pumat’s hand when he explained what it was for; a downloadable actual book. Pumat did them a couple demonstrations, letting them watch the words spill down the page from a few of the other books in the store. 

The process was almost instantaneous, and as he flipped through they could just see the last touches of colour being added to illustrations. It was... incredible. 

Fjord personally was more a laptop or mobile guy, but he knew more than anyone how much Caleb loved the feel of a real paper book under his hands. It was a lot more expensive than the figurines, a little more than what the whole Nein had pulled together for a present, but Fjord had no problem kicking a few extra gold in. 

Caleb very nearly cried when Fjord took it from him, and again when he carried it immediately up to the front. There just wasn’t gonna be anything cooler or anything he wanted more. 

There were also the usual potions, healing, resistance, transformative, and they were definitely going to have to bring everyone up. At one point Fjord looked up and realised there were ~three~ Pumats in the room, each completely identical to the last. 

He didn’t mention it to Caleb. Just... watched for that little startle when the wizard noticed. It wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but a little harmless fun never hurt. And they were sure as shit not gonna tell the others what to expect. 

Leaving almost two hours later, Caleb holding his book to his chest like an actual child, they were already making plans to come back. His cat figurine was being safely held by Fjord, who was kind of getting attached to stroking the thing himself. The Pumats made some truly incredible things, almost all of which would be very useful when they were travelling again at the next break. 

Winter’s Crest was also on the horizon, and they spent the walk back to the Zadash Cobalt Soul wondering about commissions and the kinds of cool things they could have the Pumats make for them and their friends. 

They had enough time left before meeting the others for dinner to spend a little time in the library, but Caleb insisted they do it in the Nicodranas branch. Being in the Empire was just a little grating after so long away, and he didn’t like how vulnerable he felt. 

But the Nicodranas library was also huge, and they passed a few more productive hours browsing the stacks and speed reading. Fjord had more than enough studying of his own to do and they soon fell into a peaceful silence. 

It took a while for Caleb to choose a book to load onto his present; he could finish most of the books in the library in a couple of hours limited to just one. But it wasn’t like he couldn’t come back tomorrow as needed, or load something else from the web. 

The soft smile on his face as he caressed the pages, turning them slowly just to enjoy the feeling, made Fjord smile as well. It was such a pure enjoyment, a soft sensory pleasure as they flipped through his fingers. The soft scent of paper. 

Five hundred gold was nothing to that gentle pleasure. 

It kept Caleb on a high, bubbly and happy as they made their way to the bar to meet the rest of the Nein. Dinner was a blessedly calm affair. Nott and Jester produced a cake that was only slightly burnt, and small presents from the whole group were produced. 

The book was roundly admired and conversation stayed light and airy as the evening passed. Despite all living in the same house, the Nein drifted from the bar in twos and threes. Different schedules and their different demands sometimes made it hard to get together during term time, but Caleb found that he really was glad they’d made the time for him. 

He’d expected... well, he’d expected to be indulging them, to put up with some gag gifts if anything at all on such short notice, a dinner like any other, and maybe begging them not to sing. No one even threatened a song, all carefully respecting his wishes to keep the day itself low key. 

The Mighty Nein could be loud, rebellious, and utterly fucking uncontrollable, but they respected him. Cared about him. Made sure that he felt loved on a day he’d been dreading. 

Fjord escorted him home arm in arm and Caleb just couldn’t stop smiling. He’d expected it to end at the door, but after they kicked off their shoes Fjord held out his arm again and Caleb was happy to take it. 

They made it all the way to his room before Fjord paused at the door, leaning against the frame. 

“Not as bad as you thought?” He asked in a low voice, careful of their sleeping housemates. 

Caleb beamed back, the weight of his new book still weighing in his heart. 

“This may be the best birthday I have ever had,” he admitted quietly and watched the joy blossom across Fjord’s face. 

The half orc cleared his throat, doing his best to seem cool and composed despite a spreading grin. 

“I’m real glad to hear you say that Caleb,” he replied, his hand sliding gently down Caleb’s arm to squeeze his fingers. They meshed easily with his and Caleb rose on his toes, closing the distance between them to press a soft kiss to Fjord’s lips. 

“Thank you for a wonderful birthday.” 

Smile spreading even wider, Fjord leaned down and cupped the back of the wizard’s neck and pulled him into a deeper kiss. 

“And many more to come.” 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: Okay everyone wish me luck again! On we go!


End file.
